System and Method for Searching and Monitoring Assets Available for Acquisition

ABSTRACT

A system and method are provided for searching and monitoring assets available for acquisition. The method includes receiving a first signal including data associated with an acquiring entity, receiving a second signal including search data generated by the acquiring entity when interacting with at least one electronic listing service comprising searchable data associated with a plurality of assets available for acquisition, storing user profile data for the acquiring entity, the user profile data comprising at least a portion of the data associated with the acquiring entity, and at least a portion of the search data. The method also includes using the user profile data to search or monitor assets listed in the at least one electronic listing service to generate a result list of matched assets and sending a third signal including an electronic notification related to the result list, to a device associated with the acquiring entity.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The following relates generally to searching and monitoring assetsavailable for acquisition.

BACKGROUND

With the availability of online searchable databases of assets availablefor acquisition, e.g., real estate listing sites; individuals who arelooking to acquire such assets have options to search and monitorlistings according to various criteria. For example, individuals who arelooking to purchase or lease a home or other dwelling may search andmonitor listings of properties in certain desired neighborhoods. Forreal estate assets, potential home buyers normally hire a realtor orreal estate service that may have access to more real estate data andother information relevant to a home search, in addition to his/herexperience. For example, such a realtor may actively search and reviewnew listings to present to their clients according to theirunderstanding of the needs of each individual client. Moreover, thereare typically several other tasks that a home buyer should manage atsome point before, during or after locating a desired home. For example,the home buyer may need to find suitable lending such as a mortgage andhire various third-party professionals (e.g., realtors, brokers,lawyers, inspectors, and contractors). These tasks can becomeoverwhelming and are often actively managed by the home buyersthemselves.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Embodiments will now be described with reference to the appendeddrawings wherein:

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an example computing environment.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example configuration of an asset searchand monitoring platform.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of an example configuration of a clientcomputing device associated with an acquiring entity.

FIG. 4 is a flow diagram of an example of computer executableinstructions for conducting search and monitoring of assets availablefor acquisition and notifying acquiring entities of search results.

FIG. 5 is a flow diagram of an example of computer executableinstructions for obtaining access to data for populating a clientprofile.

FIG. 6 is a flow diagram of an example of computer executableinstructions for monitoring search activities by an acquiring entity andproviding search criteria to an asset listing site for obtaining newsearch results.

FIG. 7 is a flow diagram of an example of computer executableinstructions for executing searching and recommendation processes.

FIG. 8 is an example of a graphical user interface of a real estatelisting search tool.

FIG. 9 is an example of a graphical user interface of a searchnotification.

FIG. 10 is an example of a graphical user interface of a home buyingdashboard.

FIG. 11 is an example of a graphical user interface of an appointmentnotification.

FIG. 12 is an example of a graphical user interface of a virtual chatsession with an appointment notification in a chat message.

FIG. 13 is an example of a graphical user interface of a virtual chatsession from a perspective of the acquiring entity.

FIG. 14 is an example of a graphical user interface of the virtual chatsession of FIG. 13, from a perspective of a realtor.

FIG. 15 is an example of a graphical user interface of the virtual chatsession of FIG. 13, from a perspective of an inspector.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

It will be appreciated that for simplicity and clarity of illustration,where considered appropriate, reference numerals may be repeated amongthe figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements. Inaddition, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide athorough understanding of the example embodiments described herein.However, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the artthat the example embodiments described herein may be practiced withoutthese specific details. In other instances, well-known methods,procedures and components have not been described in detail so as not toobscure the example embodiments described herein. Also, the descriptionis not to be considered as limiting the scope of the example embodimentsdescribed herein.

Individuals who are looking to acquire such assets have options tosearch and monitor listings according to various criteria. Moreover,there are typically several other tasks that a home buyer should manageat some point before, during or after locating a desired home. There isa need for a platform or tool to assist entities looking to acquireassets (e.g., potential home buyers) during the searching andacquisition process. Such a platform may be used to automatically searchfor candidate listings based on profile data, financial data, searchcriteria, and information related to the listed assets. The platform maybe used to notify acquiring entities such that the acquiring entitiescan be notified of additional searches, updates to listings, and bereminded of additional steps or milestones in the acquisition process.

Certain example systems and methods described herein are able to enablesearching and monitoring of assets available for acquisition and tonotify acquiring entities according to stored profile data. In oneaspect, there is provided a device for searching and monitoring assetsavailable for acquisition. The device includes a processor, acommunications module coupled to the processor, and a memory coupled tothe processor. The memory stores computer executable instructions thatwhen executed by the processor cause the processor to receive via thecommunications module a first signal including data associated with anacquiring entity and receive via the communications module a secondsignal including search data generated by the acquiring entity wheninteracting with at least one electronic listing service comprisingsearchable data associated with a plurality of assets available foracquisition. The memory also stores computer executable instructionsthat when executed by the processor cause the processor to store userprofile data for the acquiring entity, the user profile data comprisingat least a portion of the data associated with the acquiring entity, andat least a portion of the search data. The memory also stores computerexecutable instructions that when executed by the processor cause theprocessor to use the user profile data to search or monitor assetslisted in the at least one electronic listing service to generate aresult list of matched assets and send via the communications module athird signal including an electronic notification related to the resultlist, to a device associated with the acquiring entity.

In another aspect, there is provided a method of searching andmonitoring assets available for acquisition. The method is executed by adevice having a processor and includes receiving via a communicationsmodule a first signal including data associated with an acquiring entityand receiving via the communications module a second signal includingsearch data generated by the acquiring entity when interacting with atleast one electronic listing service comprising searchable dataassociated with a plurality of assets available for acquisition. Themethod also includes storing user profile data for the acquiring entity,the user profile data comprising at least a portion of the dataassociated with the acquiring entity, and at least a portion of thesearch data. The method also includes using the user profile data tosearch or monitor assets listed in the at least one electronic listingservice to generate a result list of matched assets and sending via thecommunications module a third signal including an electronicnotification related to the result list, to a device associated with theacquiring entity.

In another aspect, there is provided non-transitory computer readablemedium for searching and monitoring assets available for acquisition.The computer readable medium includes computer executable instructionsfor receiving via a communications module a first signal including dataassociated with an acquiring entity and receiving via the communicationsmodule a second signal including search data generated by the acquiringentity when interacting with at least one electronic listing servicecomprising searchable data associated with a plurality of assetsavailable for acquisition. The computer readable medium also includescomputer executable instructions for storing user profile data for theacquiring entity, the user profile data comprising at least a portion ofthe data associated with the acquiring entity, and at least a portion ofthe search data. The computer readable medium also includes computerexecutable instructions for using the user profile data to search ormonitor assets listed in the at least one electronic listing service togenerate a result list of matched assets and sending via thecommunications module a third signal including an electronicnotification related to the result list, to a device associated with theacquiring entity.

In certain example embodiments, an electronic platform including a firstinterface for the acquiring entity may be provided, access to the atleast one electronic listing service may be provided via the firstinterface, and the search data from interactions associated with theaccess to the at least one electronic listing service may be obtainedvia the communications module.

In certain example embodiments, the electronic notification may includeat least one of statistics regarding acquisition values for assetsmatching particular criteria, a listing for a particular asset, anindication that a previously searched asset has been acquired.

In certain example embodiments, the user profile data may beperiodically updated to account for changes in the data associated withthe acquiring entity.

In certain example embodiments, the data associated with the acquiringentity may include a financial viability metric associated with a valueor value range for the assets being searched.

In certain example embodiments, an electronic platform including a firstinterface for the acquiring entity may be provided and a graphical userinterface including at least one element associated with an acquisitionprocess for a selected asset may also be provided. The graphical userinterface may provide at least one reminder associated with a step inthe acquisition process. The graphical user interface may also providean appointment tool for scheduling at least one event associated withthe acquisition process. The electronic platform may provide at leastone interface to connect the acquiring entity with at least one advisorentity, the at least one advisor entity being scheduled for the at leastone event using the appointment tool.

In certain example embodiments, a chatroom interface may be provided toenable at least one secondary participant to correspond with theacquiring entity. Visibility of at least one message in a chat based ona secondary participant type may be controlled. The at least one messagemay include financial data.

In certain example embodiments, an electronic platform including a firstinterface for the acquiring entity may be provided and the acquiringentity may be enabled to connect to at least one advisor entity usingthe first interface. At least one recommendation may be generated forthe at least one advisor.

In certain example embodiments, the plurality of assets may be dwellingsto be purchased or leased.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary computing environment 8. In one aspect,the computing environment 8 may include an asset search and monitoringplatform 10 (referred to as “the platform 10” hereinafter), one or moreclient devices 12, and a communications network 14 connecting one ormore components of the computing environment 8. The computingenvironment 8 may also include one or more asset listing sites 20. Inthe example shown in FIG. 1, N asset listing sites 20 are shown and eachasset listing site 20 may be associated with one or more asset searchingservices (e.g., one or more real estate listing services). Each assetlisting site 20 may include an application programming interface (API)21 for interfacing with the platform 10 via the network 14.

The computing environment 8 may also include on or more interested partydevices 28. It will be appreciated that the interested party devices 28may be considered similar or the same as the client devices 12 but inthis example embodiment are associated with other parties that are notnecessarily an acquiring entity and support or otherwise participate inan asset purchasing process of a certain acquiring entity using a clientdevice 12 in the computing environment. It will be appreciated that aninterested party may also be an acquiring entity in other circumstances.Similarly, an acquiring entity may also be an interested third party foranother acquiring entity.

The computing environment 8 may also include a financial institutionsystem 16 (e.g., commercial bank) that provides financial servicesaccounts to users and processes financial transactions associated withthose financial service accounts. While several details of the financialinstitution system 16 have been omitted for clarity of illustration,shown in FIG. 1 is a datastore (also referred to as a database, memoryor memory element) that stores financial data 18. The financial data 18may be associated with users of the client devices 12 (who may also beinterested parties in some example embodiments). The financial data 18may include any data related to or derived from financial values ormetrics associated with customers of the financial institution 16, forexample, account balances, transaction histories, line of creditavailable, credit scores, mortgage balances, affordability metrics,investment account balances, investment values and types, among manyothers. The financial data 18 may also be associated with users of theinterested party devices 28.

The computing environment 8 may also include a datastore 22. In theexample shown in FIG. 1, the datastore 22 may be used to store clientprofile data 24 and asset search data 26. The client profile data 24 maybe used to store data accumulated by or provided to the platform 10 andwhich is associated with a user of a client device 12. The clientprofile data 24 may be mapped to corresponding financial data 18 forthat user (as illustrated using dashed lines in FIG. 1) and/or mayinclude some of the financial data 18. The client profile data 24 caninclude both data that is associated with a client as well as data thatis associated with one or more user accounts for that client asrecognized by the platform 10. The data associated with a client mayinclude, without limitation, demographic data (e.g., age, gender,income, location, etc.), preference data input by the client (e.g.,hobbies, likes, dislikes, etc.), and inferred data generated throughmachine learning, modeling, pattern matching, or other automatedtechniques. The client profile data 24 may also include historicalinteractions and transactions associated with the platform 10, e.g.,login history, search history, communication logs, document sharingmetrics, etc. The client profile data 24 may also include documents,media content or other files that are being shared on the platform 10 orotherwise stored for the client.

The asset search data 26 includes search criteria, search results, andother information related to one or more of the asset listing searchsites 20 and may be organized per client device 12. That is, for eachacquiring entity associated with a client device 12, a set of assetsearch data 26 may be stored to track searches conducted by theacquiring entity, results from those searches, search criteria used bythe platform 10 to automatically search on behalf of the acquiringentity, and any other information or credentials for utilizing the assetlisting sites 20. For example, the platform 10 may be given permissionby the acquiring entity to store user login credentials for useraccounts associated with one or more of the asset listing sites 20 toprovide further personalization of the searching and monitoringoperations performed by the platform 10. The API 21 may be used by theplatform 10 to establish connectivity and permit such personalizedaccess to the asset listing sites 20. The asset search data 26 may beupdated and refined over time by monitoring searching activitiesconducted by the client devices 12 on the asset listing sites 20 or bytracking searching and monitoring activities performed by the platform10 on behalf of the acquiring entities.

It can be appreciated that the datastore 22 is shown separately from theplatform 10 for illustrative purposes only and may also be at leastpartially stored within a database, memory, or portion thereof withinthe platform 10. It can also be appreciated that while the platform 10and financial institution system 16 are shown as separate entities inFIG. 1, they may also be part of the same system. For example, theplatform 10 can be hosted and provided within the financial institutionsystem 16.

Client devices 12 may be associated with one or more users. Users may bereferred to herein as acquiring entities, homebuyers, or other entitiesassociated with an exchange activity such as a home buying process. Thecomputing environment 8 may include multiple client devices 12, eachclient device 12 being associated with a separate user or with one ormore users. In certain embodiments, a user may operate client device 12such that client device 12 performs one or more processes consistentwith the disclosed embodiments. For example, the user may use clientdevice 12 to engage and interface with the platform 10 and asset listingsites 20 to assist in purchasing a home. The client device 12 may alsoengage and interface with users of the interested party devices 28,e.g., friends, family, co-workers, advisors such as realtors or mortgagebrokers, etc. Similarly, the client device 12 may engage and interfacewith the financial institution system 16 for activities both related andunrelated to searching and acquiring assets available for acquisition.In certain aspects, client device 12 can include, but is not limited to,a personal computer, a laptop computer, a tablet computer, a notebookcomputer, a hand-held computer, a personal digital assistant, a portablenavigation device, a mobile phone, a wearable device, a gaming device,an embedded device, a smart phone, a virtual reality device, anaugmented reality device, third party portals, an automated tellermachine (ATM), and any additional or alternate computing device, and maybe operable to transmit and receive data across communication network14.

Communication network 14 may include a telephone network, cellular,and/or data communication network to connect different types of clientdevices 12 and different types of asset listing sites 20 and interestedparty devices 28. For example, the communication network 14 may includea private or public switched telephone network (PSTN), mobile network(e.g., code division multiple access (CDMA) network, global system formobile communications (GSM) network, and/or any 3G, 4G, or 5G wirelesscarrier network, etc.), WiFi or other similar wireless network, and aprivate and/or public wide area network (e.g., the Internet).

In one embodiment, platform 10 may be one or more computer systemsconfigured to process and store information and execute softwareinstructions to perform one or more processes consistent with thedisclosed embodiments. In certain embodiments, although not required,platform 10 may be associated with one or more business entities. Incertain embodiments, platform 10 may represent or be part of any type ofbusiness entity. For example, platform 10 may be a system associatedwith a commercial bank (e.g., financial institution system 16), aretailer, or some other type of business.

Referring back to FIG. 1, the platform 10 and/or financial institutionsystem 16 may also include a cryptographic server (not shown) forperforming cryptographic operations and providing cryptographic services(e.g., authentication (via digital signatures), data protection (viaencryption), etc.) to provide a secure interaction channel andinteraction session, etc. Such a cryptographic server can also beconfigured to communicate and operate with a cryptographicinfrastructure, such as a public key infrastructure (PKI), certificateauthority (CA), certificate revocation service, signing authority, keyserver, etc. The cryptographic server and cryptographic infrastructurecan be used to protect the various data communications described herein,to secure communication channels therefor, authenticate parties, managedigital certificates for such parties, manage keys (e.g., public andprivate keys in a PKI), and perform other cryptographic operations thatare required or desired for particular applications of the platform 10and financial institution system 16. The cryptographic server may beused to protect the financial data 18, client profile data 24, and assetsearch data 26 by way of encryption for data protection, digitalsignatures or message digests for data integrity, and by using digitalcertificates to authenticate the identity of the users and clientdevices 12, interested party devices 28, and asset listing sites 20 withwhich the platform 10 communicates to inhibit data breaches byadversaries. It can be appreciated that various cryptographic mechanismsand protocols can be chosen and implemented to suit the constraints andrequirements of the particular deployment of the platform 10 as is knownin the art.

In FIG. 2, an example configuration of the platform 10 is shown. Incertain embodiments, the platform 10 may include one or more processors30, a communications module 32, and a database interface module 34 forinterfacing with the datastore 22 to retrieve and store data.Communications module 32 enables the platform 10 to communicate with oneor more other components of the computing environment 8, such as clientdevice 12, interested party devices 28, financial institution system 16or asset search sites 20 (or one of its components), via a bus or othercommunication network, such as the communication network 14. While notdelineated in FIG. 2, the platform 10 includes at least one memory ormemory device that can include a tangible and non-transitorycomputer-readable medium having stored therein computer programs, setsof instructions, code, or data to be executed by processor 30. FIG. 2illustrates examples of modules, tools and engines stored in memory onthe platform 10 and operated by the processor 30. It can be appreciatedthat any of the modules, tools, and engines shown in FIG. 2 may also behosted externally and be available to the platform 10, e.g., via thecommunications module 32. In the example embodiment shown in FIG. 2, theplatform 10 includes a recommendation engine 36, a machine learningengine 38, a classification module 40, a training module 42, an accesscontrol module 44, a communications tool 46, an appointment schedulingtool 48, an asset listing site module 50, a financial institutioninterface module 52, and an interested party interface module 54.

The recommendation engine 36 is used by the platform 10 to generate oneor more search recommendations for a client device 12. Therecommendation engine 36 can access the client profile data 24 and assetsearch data 26 via the databases interface module 34 and apply one ormore matching processes to generate the recommendation(s). Therecommendation engine 36 may also have access to financial data 18associated with the acquiring entity, which may be provided via thefinancial institution interface module 52. The recommendation engine 36may utilize or otherwise interface with the machine learning engine 38to both classify data currently being analyzed to generate arecommendation, and to train classifiers using data that is continuallybeing processed and accumulated by the platform 10.

The machine learning engine 38 may also perform operations that classifythe client profile data 24 and asset search data 26 in accordance withcorresponding classifications parameters, e.g., based on an applicationof one or more machine learning algorithms to each of the groups ofprofile data 24, 26 (also referred to herein as “profile content”). Themachine learning algorithms may include, but are not limited to, aone-dimensional, convolutional neural network model (e.g., implementedusing a corresponding neural network library, such as Keras®), and theone or more machine learning algorithms may be trained against, andadaptively improved using, elements of previously classified profilecontent identifying suitable search criteria and/or suitable matchesbetween users and assets such as homes listed by the asset listingservices 20. Subsequent to classifying the profile content, therecommendation engine 36 may further process each element of the profilecontent to identify, and extract, a value characterizing thecorresponding one of the classification parameters, e.g., based on anapplication of one or more additional machine learning algorithms toeach of the elements of the profile content. By way of the example, theadditional machine learning algorithms may include, but are not limitedto, an adaptive natural language processing algorithm that, among otherthings, predicts starting and ending indices of a candidate parametervalue within each element of profile content, extracts the candidateparameter value in accordance with the predicted indices, and computes aconfidence score for the candidate parameter value that reflects aprobability that the candidate parameter value accurately represents thecorresponding classification parameter. As described herein, the one ormore additional machine learning algorithms may be trained against, andadaptively improved using, the locally maintained elements of previouslyclassified profile content. Classification parameters may be stored andmaintained using the classification module 40, and training data may bestored and maintained using the training module 42.

In some instances, classification data stored in the classificationmodule 40 may identify one or more parameters, e.g., “classification”parameters, that facilitate a classification of corresponding elementsor groups of recognized profile content based on any of the exemplarymachine learning algorithms or processes described herein. The one ormore classification parameters may correspond to parameters that canindicate a suitability or compatibility between users and potentialassets available for acquisition. For example, a target geographicalarea preference for a user's homebuying search can be correlated ordeemed compatible or not with certain geographical areas associated withsearch results.

In some instances, the additional, or alternate, machine learningalgorithms may include one or more adaptive, natural-language processingalgorithms capable of parsing each of the classified portions of theprofile content and predicting a starting and ending index of thecandidate parameter value within each of the classified portions.Examples of the adaptive, natural-language processing algorithmsinclude, but are not limited to, natural-language processing models thatleverage machine learning processes or artificial neural networkprocesses, such as a named entity recognition model implemented using aSpaCy® library.

Examples of these adaptive, machine learning processes include, but arenot limited to, one or more artificial, neural network models, such as aone-dimensional, convolutional neural network model, e.g., implementedusing a corresponding neural network library, such as Keras®. In someinstances, the one-dimensional, convolutional neural network model mayimplement one or more classifier functions or processes, such a Softmax®classifier, capable of predicting an association between an element ofprofile content (e.g., an address used in a real estate listing search)and a single classification parameter (e.g., a region of interest) andadditionally, or alternatively, multiple classification parameters(e.g., a property tax level and a region of interest).

Based on the output of the one or more machine learning algorithms orprocesses, such as the one-dimensional, convolutional neural networkmodel described herein, machine learning engine 38 may performoperations that classify each of the discrete elements of profilecontent as a corresponding one of the classification parameters, e.g.,as obtained from classification data stored by the classification module40.

The outputs of the machine learning algorithms or processes may then beused by the recommendation engine 36 to find one or more search criteriafor monitoring, searching, and recommending available assets for theacquiring entity to acquire. The outputs of the machine learningalgorithms may also include recommended ones of the listings from agiven set of search results. As discussed in greater detail below, thesearching and monitoring processes implemented by the recommendationengine 36 may operate based on search activities of the acquiringentity, or automatically on behalf of the acquiring entity, or both. Forexample, the recommendation engine 36 may learn search criteria andpreferences from search activities conducted by the acquiring entity andthen subsequently refine those search criteria based on data stored bythe platform 10 and conduct additional searches using the same ordifferent asset listing sites 20. For example, the platform 10 may usesearch criteria used by an acquiring entity searching on a first assetlisting site 20 to generate a suitable set of search criteria to be usedby the platform 10 on one or more second asset listing sites 20.

Referring again to FIG. 2, the access control module 44 may be used toapply a hierarchy of permission levels or otherwise apply predeterminedcriteria to determine what profile data can be shared with which entityin the computing environment 8. For example, the platform 10 may havebeen granted access to certain sensitive financial data 18 for a user,which is associated with a certain client device 12 in the computingenvironment 8. When communicating with the interested party devices 28or asset listing sites 20, such access control measures can be appliedto restrict the sharing of information with such entities.

Similarly, the client profile data 24 may include potentially sensitiveinformation such as age, date of birth, or nationality, which theacquiring entity may not wish to have shared. For example, a realtor (asan example of an interested party in this example) may not requirefinancial data 18 until forms are required for a bid or mortgagepre-approval, whereas some general personal information may be requiredto engage in a realtor representation agreement. As such, the accesscontrol module 44 can be used to control the sharing of certain clientprofile data 24 (and/or financial data 18) based on events in thesearching and acquisition process. That is, different relationshipsbetween the acquiring entity and other entities in the computingenvironment 8 may require different levels of access to data stored bythe platform 10 and the access control module 44 may be configured tocontrol how much information is shared and with whom.

It will be appreciated that events representing or causing changes inthese relationships can trigger different levels of access control tothe client profile data 24 and/or financial data 18. This can includeproviding additional integration between the acquiring entity and theinterested parties, in response to events indicative of a deeper or moreformalized relationship (e.g., with advisor entities configured tocommunicate via the platform 10).

The platform 10 may also include a communications tool 46 that isprovided to enable entities in the computing environment 8 tocommunicate with each other, e.g., via an instant messaging or chatinterface. The platform 10 may also include an appointment schedulingtool 48 to enable the platform 10 to generate appointments and remindersrelated to certain events related to the asset acquisition process. Itwill be appreciated that the appointment scheduling tool 48 may beconfigured to interface with existing calendar applications and existingscheduling tools to create new appointments and reminders that workwithin existing infrastructure. For example, the platform 10 can be usedto create a home viewing appointment, or a reminder to seek apre-approval for a mortgage based on search activities and actionsrelated to the home buying process. The communications tool 46 and theappointment scheduling tool 48 may include their own access controlfunctionality or may utilize and coordinate with the access controlmodule 44 for such functionality.

It can be appreciated that the delineation between the access controlmodule 44, communications tool 46, and appointment scheduling tool 48 asshown in FIG. 2 is for illustrative purposes. The platform 10 may alsoinclude an asset listing site module 50 that may interface with theasset listing sites 20 via the API 21 to connect acquiring entities tothe asset listing sites 20 and to monitor and track searching activitiesand search results obtained through those sites 20, which can initiatethe recommendation engine 36 to determine additional search criteria,conduct additional searches, and provide recommended listings innotifications to the acquiring entity.

The platform 10 may also include a financial institution interfacemodule 52 to provide a graphical user interface (GUI) or applicationprogramming interface (API) connectivity to communicate with thefinancial institution system 16 to obtain financial data 18 for acertain user. The platform 10 may also include an interested partyinterface module 54 to control access to the platform 10 for interestedparties that are associated with a particular client device 12. Forexample, the interested party interface module 54 may maintain a list ofapproved interested parties that may access chat sessions andcommunicate with the acquiring entity via the platform 10. It can beappreciated that the asset listing site module 50, financial institutionmodule 52 and interested party interface module 54 may also provide aweb browser-based interface, an application or “app” interface, amachine language interface, etc.

In FIG. 3, an example configuration of the client device 12 is shown. Incertain embodiments, the client device 12 may include one or moreprocessors 60, a communications module 62, and a data store 74 storingdevice data 76 and application data 78. Communications module 62 enablesthe client device 12 to communicate with one or more other components ofthe computing environment 8, such as platform 10, interested partydevices 28 or asset listing sites 20 (or one of its components), via abus or other communication network, such as the communication network14. While not delineated in FIG. 3, the client device 12 includes atleast one memory or memory device that can include a tangible andnon-transitory computer-readable medium having stored therein computerprograms, sets of instructions, code, or data to be executed byprocessor 60. FIG. 3 illustrates examples of modules and applicationsstored in memory on the client device 12 and operated by the processor60. It can be appreciated that any of the modules and applications shownin FIG. 3 may also be hosted externally and be available to the clientdevice 12, e,g., via the communications module 62.

In the example embodiment shown in FIG. 3, the client device 12 includesa display module 64 for rendering GUIs and other visual output on adisplay device such as a display screen, and an input module 66 forprocessing user or other inputs received at the client device 12, e.g.,via a touchscreen, input button, transceiver, microphone, keyboard, etc.The client device 12 may also include an asset listing application 68,which may be a customized app provided by the platform 10 for use by theentities in the computing environment 8. Similarly, the client device 12may include a financial institution application 70 provided by theirfinancial institution system 16, e.g., for performing mobile bankingoperations. The client device 12 in this example embodiment alsoincludes a web browser application 72 for accessing Internet-basedcontent, e.g., via a mobile or traditional website. The data store 74may be used to store device data 76, such as, but not limited to, an IPaddress or a MAC address that uniquely identifies client device 12within environment 8. The data store 74 may also be used to storeapplication data 78, such as, but not limited to, login credentials,user preferences, cryptographic data (e.g., cryptographic keys), etc.

It will be appreciated that only certain modules, applications, toolsand engines are shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 for ease of illustration andvarious other components would be provided and utilized by the clientdevice 12 and platform 10 as is known in the art. It will also beappreciated that the configuration of the asset listing sites 20 andinterested party devices 28 may be similar to that shown in FIG. 2 or 3,including the inclusion of an asset listing application 68 and itsfunctionality.

It will also be appreciated that any module or component exemplifiedherein that executes instructions may include or otherwise have accessto computer readable media such as storage media, computer storagemedia, or data storage devices (removable and/or non-removable) such as,for example, magnetic disks, optical disks, or tape. Computer storagemedia may include volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removablemedia implemented in any method or technology for storage ofinformation, such as computer readable instructions, data structures,program modules, or other data. Examples of computer storage mediainclude RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology,CD-ROM, digital versatile disks (DVD) or other optical storage, magneticcassettes, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magneticstorage devices, or any other medium which can be used to store thedesired information and which can be accessed by an application, module,or both. Any such computer storage media may be part of any of theservers in platform 10 or financial institution system 16, client device12, or interested party device 28, or accessible or connectable thereto.Any application or module herein described may be implemented usingcomputer readable/executable instructions that may be stored orotherwise held by such computer readable media.

Referring to FIG. 4, an example embodiment of computer executableinstructions for conducting search and monitoring of assets availablefor acquisition and notifying acquiring entities of search results isshown. At block 100, the platform 10 acquires data associated with theacquiring entity to populate the client profile data 24. The dataassociated with the acquiring entity may have been provided previously,e.g., upon registering with the platform 10 and/or may be periodicallyacquired automatically or in communication with the acquiring entity. Inthis example embodiment, the acquiring entity provides such data orenables access to such data at block 102. Examples of providing orenabling access to such user or client data is illustrated in FIG. 5described below.

At bock 104, the platform acquires asset search data, e.g., home listingsearch data. This asset search data is acquired to populate the assetsearch data 26. In this example embodiment, the acquiring entityprovides the asset search data or enables access to the data, e.g., byproviding login credentials to an asset listing site 20 used by theacquiring entity at block 106. The acquiring entity may also connect orlink to certain asset listing sites 20 via the platform 10 and providesuitable permissions to enable the platform 10 to monitor interactionswith those certain asset listing sites 20. An example of providing orenabling access to such search data is illustrated in FIG. 6 describedbelow.

At block 108, the platform 10 stores client profile data 24 and assetsearch data 26 for the acquiring entity in the datastore 22. Obtainingdata from the acquiring entity may include obtaining access to thefinancial data 18 for the acquiring entity and at least some of thisfinancial data 18 may be stored in the client profile data 24. It willbe appreciated that in example embodiments where the financialinstitution system 16 hosts the platform 10, the financial data 18 mayalready be available to the platform 10.

At block 110, the platform 10 uses the recommendation engine 36 toconduct searching and/or monitoring activities used the stored clientprofile data 24, asset search data 26, and financial data 18. Based onthe activities conducted by the recommendation engine 36, the platform10 may generate and send one or more notifications to the acquiringentity at block 112. For example, the platform 10 may generate searchcriteria and access an asset listing site 20 not previously used by theacquiring entity to provide a search result list associated with thatasset listing site 20. Similarly, the recommendation engine 36 may beused to generate a refined set of search criteria to periodicallymonitor one or more asset listing sites 20 to provide ongoing searchresults to the acquiring entity.

At block 114, the acquiring entity receives the notification, e.g., viathe asset listing application 68, financial institution application 70,web browser application 72 or other application on the client device 12.The notification may be delivered by way of an existing communicationtype such as an email, text message or alert, or may be delivered usinga custom pop-up message or other visual element on the client device 12or another device associated with that acquiring entity. An example ofsuch a notification is shown in FIG. 9 and described below.

The platform 10 may also be configured to assist the acquiring entitynot only with searching and monitoring assets available for acquisition,but also to interact or engage in the acquisition process, e.g., toinitiate a home buying process by incorporating interested parties suchas realtors, lawyers, inspectors, mortgage brokers, etc. At block 116,the platform enables interactions in the acquisition process, whichenables the acquiring entity to interact in the acquisition process atblock 118, e.g., by initiating a chat with a realtor to schedule aviewing of a property found by the platform 10 in conducting themonitoring and searching activities described herein.

The platform 10 may obtain access to certain client profile data 24 thatis associated with an acquiring entity, e.g., at block 102 in FIG. 4.Referring to FIG. 5, an example embodiment of computer executableinstructions for obtaining access to data for populating a clientprofile is shown.

At block 200 the platform 10 requests access to financial data 18 andprovides this request to the acquiring entity. At block 202 theacquiring entity receives the request for financial data 18 and providesaccess to the platform 10 in this example embodiment. It can beappreciated that the financial data 18 can be accessed directly when theplatform 10 is associated with or provided directly by the financialinstitution system 16. The financial data 18 may also be entered by theacquiring entity when establishing a profile with the platform 10, e.g.,via a questionnaire or other input mechanism. Full or partial access tothe financial institution system 16 may also be provided to enable theclient profile data 24 to have access to current and periodicallychanging financial data 18.

At block 204 the platform 10 requests access to social media data toobtain preferences and personality traits, searching and viewinghistories, “likes”, reposts, among other things, and provides thisrequest to the acquiring entity. At block 206 the acquiring entityreceives the request for social media data and provides access to theplatform 10 in this example embodiment. Providing access in this exampleembodiment may include providing sign-in credentials or a permission toenable the platform 10 to directly access the social media dataautomatically and periodically. The permission may be an opt-in by theacquiring entity that the platform 10 can utilize publicly availablesocial media data for that user. Access to private social media data canalso be provided with the credentials.

At block 208 the platform 10 requests the input of certain personaldata, to obtain other preferences and personality traits, or other datanot available through social media, and provides this request to theacquiring entity. At block 210 the acquiring entity receives the requestfor the input of personal data and provides input to the platform 10 inthis example embodiment. Providing input of personal information mayinclude a questionnaire or survey or other input mechanism provided tothe acquiring entity, e.g., via the realtor referral and interfaceapplication 68.

At block 212 the platform 10 generates and stores the client profiledata 24 for that acquiring entity via the databases interface module 34.The process shown in FIG. 5 may be initiated when registering a newuser, periodically performed to update and refresh the client profiledata 24, or both.

The platform 10 may also provide access to, or otherwise be associatedwith the asset listing sites 20 to enable the platform 10 to monitorsearch activities of the acquiring entity and to generate its own searchcriteria and conduct monitoring and searching activities on behalf ofthe acquiring entities, e.g., in part illustrated at block 106 in FIG.4. Referring to FIG. 6, an example embodiment of computer executableinstructions for monitoring search activities by an acquiring entity andproviding search criteria to an asset listing site for obtaining newsearch results. At block 300, the platform provides one or more links toasset listing sites 20 to enable the acquiring entity to access one ormore of these asset listing sites 20 at block 302, e.g., using theclient device 12. By accessing the asset listing sites 20 the acquiringentity is able to engage in conducting searching activities at block304. For example, the acquiring entity may use the platform 10 to findsuitable sites 20 to begin their home buying journey by exploring pricesand inventory in a certain geographic area.

At block 306, the platform 10 may use access to the asset listingsite(s) 20 via the API 21 to monitor and store asset search data 26 thatcan be associated with corresponding client profile data 24 in thedatastore 22. This enables the platform 10 to provide the asset searchdata 26 and any relevant client profile data 24 to the recommendationengine 36 at block 308. The platform 10 may then use the recommendationengine 36 to generate search criteria and provide or otherwise utilizesame with one or more asset listing sites 20 at block 310. It will beappreciated that, as indicated in dashed lines, block 310 may beexecuted separately from blocks 300 to 308 and/or at a later point intime. It will also be appreciated that block 310 may be executed usingthe same asset listing site(s) 20 (e.g., to monitor certain propertiesor look for new properties), and/or using one or more sites 20 notpreviously used by the acquiring entity or observed by the platform 10in generating the asset search data 26.

At block 312, the asset listing site(s) 20 use the search criteriaprovided by the platform 10 to conduct one or more searches using thesearch criteria, to obtain search results (which may include evaluatingand ranking or recommending listings in the search results) and returnthose to the platform 10 at block 314.

At block 316, the platform 10 receives the new search results and maynotify the acquiring entity, e.g., of new assets to consider, new pricesassociated with previously searched assets, among other information thatcan be extracted from the new search results. For example, the acquiringentity can be notified when a price reduction occurs, statisticsregarding acquisition values, when a listing becomes inactive (e.g., ifit has been sold), etc.

Referring to FIG. 7, an example embodiment of computer executableinstructions for executing searching and recommendation processes isshown. At block 400 the platform 10 initiates the recommendation engine36 as herein described. At block 402, the recommendation engine 36 usesthe databases interface module 34 to access the client profile data 24associated with the acquiring entity or more generally the user asherein described. It will be appreciated that block 402 may also includeaccessing financial data 18, either separately or from financial data 18stored in the client profile data 24 by the platform 10.

At block 404, the recommendation engine 36 may also use the databasesinterface module 34 to access the asset search data 26 for each assetlisting site 20 that is associated with the acquiring entity and that isto be analyzed for the searching and recommendation process. Therecommendation engine 36 uses the machine learning engine 38 to executemachine learning processes at block 410 as herein described. This mayinclude analyzing the data accessed in blocks 402 and 404 to classifydata such that relevant parameters can be identified and used todetermine a highest match between the content in the client profile data24 and the content in the search data 26 to determine one or more newsearch queries at block 406. The process implemented at block 406 may beused to generate and utilize one or more sets of search criteria withone or more asset listing sites 20 to obtain content for one or morerelevant notifications for the acquiring entity at block 408. At block408, various searching and monitoring processes can be utilized asdescribed herein. It will be appreciated that the recommendation engine36 may also be executed on the new search results to evaluate orrecommend certain listings in those search results.

In addition to sending the notifications to the acquiring entity, theplatform 10 may also enable appointment booking and reminders regardingthe acquisition process at block 412. For example, after sending anotification of additional search results or an update to a previouslysearched asset, the acquiring entity may utilize the platform 10 tobegin chatting with interested parties and proceed further in theacquisition process. For example, in searching for a home, the acquiringentity may wish to schedule a viewing, make an offer, or conductadditional searching for comparison pricing, etc. The platform 10 maytherefore also provide the communications tool 46 at block 414, toenable the acquiring entity to communicate with interested party devices28.

At block 416, the platform 10 determines whether a new search is to beconducted. This may be triggered by activities of the acquiring entityor may be periodically performed automatically by the platform 10. If anew search is to be conducted, the process may be repeated by returningto block 400. If a new search is not to be conducted, the process endsat block 418.

Referring to FIG. 8, an example of a GUI of a real estate listing searchtool 500 is shown. The GUI 500 may include a search entry box 504, a mapoutput 502, and a search results list 506. By engaging in the searchactivities as illustrated in FIG. 8, the platform 10 through the API 21may monitor and store search activities as herein described.

Referring to FIG. 9, an example of a GUI of a search notification 604 isshown. In the example embodiment shown in FIG. 9, an application GUI 600is shown without any details provided to indicate that the notification604 may be displayed as an alert in or over any application portion 602,including the asset listing application 68, financial institutionapplication 70 or web browser application 72 shown in FIG. 3. Thenotification 604 may include any suitable notification text, such as inthis example: “We have some search results for you. Click here:”. Thenotification 604 may also include a link 606 to access the contentassociated with the notification 604, in this example a set of newsearch results obtained for the acquiring entity by the platform 10. Itcan be appreciated that the notification 604 can also be displayed byanother entity such as the financial institution system 16 with the linkdirecting the user to the platform 10. That is, the platform 10 can be astand-alone entity, or can be integrated, affiliated or provided byanother entity, such as an entity already known to the user (e.g., afinancial institution).

Referring to FIG. 10, an example of a GUI of a home buying dashboard 700is shown. The home buying dashboard 700 may be provided via the assetlisting application 68. The home buying dashboard 700 is associated withthe client device 12 and its user, and in this example embodimentidentifies the user with a user profile image 702 containing the letter“C”. It will be appreciated that the user profile image 702 may be acharacter, avatar, photo, emoji, or other visual element. The dashboard700 also includes a Search for Homes option 704 that may be used toinitiate access to an asset listing site 20.

The dashboard 700 also includes a Calendar option 706 that may be usedto provide access to the appointment scheduling tool 48 of the platform10 or an integrated or associated other calendar such as a usercalendar. The dashboard 700 may also include a DOCS option 708, whichmay be selected to access a document sharing tool (not describedherein), and a CHAT option 710, which may be selected to access thecommunications tool 46. A series of profile images 712 for otherconnections (e.g. interested parties) may also be displayed, with eachimage 714 being populated (shown in dashed grey in FIG. 10 to illustratea yet-to-be-added connection) as interested parties are connected viathe platform 10. It will be appreciated that the platform 10 may also beused to connect and interface the acquiring entity with other advisors,as described in co-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. [19005]filed on Feb. 13, 2019 and entitled “System and Method for InterfacingEntities Engaged in Exchange Activities”, the contents of which areincorporated herein by reference. It will also be appreciated that theplatform 10 may have the acquiring entity connect and interface with arealtor before other advisors, according to processes described inco-pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. [19006] filed on Feb. 19,2019 and entitled “System and Method for Interfacing Acquiring Entitiesand Realtors”, the contents of which are incorporated herein byreference.

Referring to FIG. 11, an example of a GUI of an appointment notification804 is shown. In the example embodiment shown in FIG. 11, an applicationGUI 800 is shown without any details provided to indicate that thenotification 804 may be displayed as an alert in or over any applicationportion 802, including the asset listing application 68, financialinstitution application 70 or web browser application 72 shown in FIG.3. The notification 804 may include any suitable notification text, suchas in this example: “Your viewing has been scheduled. See calendar:”.The notification 804 may also include a link 806 to access the calendarappointment associated with the notification 804. It will be appreciatedthat the platform 10 may therefore engage with the acquiring entity toassist with next steps in the acquisition process. For example, specificactions or events may be captured in a calendar as shown in FIG. 11,and/or other general reminders may be generated. For example, periodicreminders regarding what the acquiring entity should be doing next maybe provided to assist them in the acquisition process. One examplereminder may include a reminder to obtain a pre-approval for a mortgage,schedule an inspection once a viewing has been arranged, etc. It can beappreciated that the notification 804 can also be displayed by anotherentity such as the financial institution system 16 with the linkdirecting the user to the platform 10. That is, the platform 10 can be astand-alone entity, or can be integrated, affiliated or provided byanother entity, such as an entity already known to the user (e.g., afinancial institution).

FIG. 12 is an example embodiment of a GUI of a virtual chat session 900provided via the communications tool 46. The chat session 900 allows theacquiring entity (denoted as the “Client” in this example) tocommunicate with entities in the computing environment 8 such asinterested party devices 28. In FIG. 12, a first client message 902 issent, which indicates: “@Realtor, I am ready to see this listing . . . ”with a link to a listing. By having a realtor interfaced as aninterested party via the platform 10, the acquiring entity may receive afirst realtor message 904 indicating: “Sounds good, I will book aviewing”. In this example, the platform 10 detects or is notified of abooking for the viewing, generates an appointment for the appointmentscheduling tool 48, and issues a platform message 906 indicating: “Yourviewing has been booked . . . ” with a link 908 to the appointment. Itwill be appreciated that the platform message 906 provides a similarfunction as the notification 804 in FIG. 11.

The access control module 44 may be used by the communications tool 46to selectively control what data and information is seen by certainentities communicating through the communications tool 46. For example,an acquiring entity may include potentially sensitive information in amessage directed to a realtor, lawyer, or mortgage broker, but wish toadd additional parties to a group chat. Rather than begin a new chat orto communicate via multiple chats, the platform 10 may use the accesscontrol module 44 to selectively redact or alter message content as seenfrom different perspectives.

FIG. 13 is an example embodiment of a GUI of another virtual chatsession 920A provided via the communications tool 46, from theperspective of the acquiring entity. In this example, a client message922A includes the following content: “Search results look good. Mybudget is $500 k, I have $150 k in income”. A realtor message 924Aindicates: “Sounds good, I will book some viewings!”, a sibling message926A indicates: “Agreed, but remember you hate to renovate . . . ”, aninspector message 928A indicates: “I can be available next week for aninspection . . . ”, and a mortgage broker message 930A indicates: “Iwill get the pre-approval now!”. Since the acquiring entity is the ownerof the content in the client message 922A, it may view the entirecontent from its perspective. In this example embodiment, it is assumedthat this content includes at least some potentially sensitiveinformation that the platform 10 identifies (e.g., using the machinelearning engine 38) and selectively redacts or alters for each of theother perspectives in the chat, where appropriate.

FIG. 14 is an example embodiment of a GUI of the virtual chat session920B, from the perspective of a realtor. Each message 922-930 includesthe suffix “B” to indicate its version from the perspective of therealtor. In this example, the client message 922B is altered whencompared to FIG. 13 wherein a content portion 932B indicates an incomerange rather than an exact income. This is illustrative of an alterationto the content of the message that takes into account that the realtor,as a “secondary participant type”, does not require exact income (atleast at this stage of the process) but may require an income range toassess financial viability of the home search and budget. The othermessages 924B, 926B, 928B, and 930B include the same content, but arealigned to indicate incoming messages.

FIG. 15 is an example embodiment of the virtual chat session 920C, fromthe perspective of an inspector. Each message 922-930 includes thesuffix “C” to indicate its version from the perspective of theinspector. In this example, the client message 922C is altered whencompared to FIGS. 13 and 14, wherein another content portion 932Cindicates a broad price range rather than a budget. Moreover, it may beseen that the content portion 932B is not seen by the inspector. Theseare illustrative of alterations to the content of the message that takesinto account that the inspector does not income data at all and may onlyrequire a broad range of budget to assess the scope of their inspection.The other messages 924C, 926C, 928C, and 930C include the same content,but are aligned to indicate incoming messages.

It will be appreciated that the examples and corresponding diagrams usedherein are for illustrative purposes only. Different configurations andterminology can be used without departing from the principles expressedherein. For instance, components and modules can be added, deleted,modified, or arranged with differing connections without departing fromthese principles.

The steps or operations in the flow charts and diagrams described hereinare just for example. There may be many variations to these steps oroperations without departing from the principles discussed above. Forinstance, the steps may be performed in a differing order, or steps maybe added, deleted, or modified.

Although the above principles have been described with reference tocertain specific examples, various modifications thereof will beapparent to those skilled in the art as outlined in the appended claims.

1. A device for searching and monitoring assets available foracquisition, the device comprising: a processor; a communications modulecoupled to the processor; and a memory coupled to the processor, thememory storing computer executable instructions that when executed bythe processor cause the processor to: receive via the communicationsmodule a first signal including data associated with an acquiringentity; receive via the communications module a second signal includingsearch data generated by the acquiring entity when interacting with atleast one electronic listing service comprising searchable dataassociated with a plurality of assets available for acquisition; storeuser profile data for the acquiring entity, the user profile datacomprising at least a portion of the data associated with the acquiringentity, and at least a portion of the search data; use the user profiledata to search or monitor assets listed in the at least one electroniclisting service to generate a result list of matched assets; and sendvia the communications module a third signal including an electronicnotification related to the result list, to a device associated with theacquiring entity.
 2. The device of claim 1, wherein the computerexecutable instructions further cause the processor to: provide anelectronic platform comprising a first interface for the acquiringentity; provide access to the at least one electronic listing servicevia the first interface; and obtain via the communications module thesearch data from interactions associated with the access to the at leastone electronic listing service.
 3. The device of claim 1, wherein theelectronic notification comprises at least one of statistics regardingacquisition values for assets matching particular criteria, a listingfor a particular asset, and an indication that a previously searchedasset has been acquired.
 4. The device of claim 1, wherein the computerexecutable instructions further cause the processor to: periodicallyupdate the user profile data to account for changes in the dataassociated with the acquiring entity.
 5. The device of claim 1, whereinthe data associated with the acquiring entity comprises a financialviability metric associated with a value or value range for the assetsbeing searched.
 6. The device of claim 1, wherein the computerexecutable instructions further cause the processor to: provide anelectronic platform comprising a first interface for the acquiringentity; and provide a graphical user interface comprising at least oneelement associated with an acquisition process for a selected asset. 7.The device of claim 6, wherein the graphical user interface provides atleast one reminder associated with a step in the acquisition process. 8.The device of claim 6, wherein the graphical user interface provides anappointment tool for scheduling at least one event associated with theacquisition process.
 9. The device of claim 8, wherein the electronicplatform provides at least one interface to connect the acquiring entitywith at least one advisor entity, the at least one advisor entity beingscheduled for the at least one event using the appointment tool.
 10. Thedevice of claim 1, wherein the computer executable instructions furthercause the processor to: provide a chatroom interface to enable at leastone secondary participant to correspond with the acquiring entity. 11.The device of claim 10, wherein the computer executable instructionsfurther cause the processor to: control visibility of at least onemessage in a chat based on a secondary participant type.
 12. The deviceof claim 11, wherein the at least one message comprises financial data.13. The device of claim 1, wherein the computer executable instructionsfurther cause the processor to: provide an electronic platformcomprising a first interface for the acquiring entity; enable theacquiring entity to connect to at least one advisor entity using thefirst interface.
 14. The device of claim 13, wherein the computerexecutable instructions further cause the processor to: generate atleast one recommendation for the at least one advisor.
 15. The device ofclaim 1, wherein the plurality of assets are dwellings to be purchasedor leased.
 16. A method of searching and monitoring assets available foracquisition, the method executed by a device having a processor andcomprising: receiving via a communications module a first signalincluding data associated with an acquiring entity; receiving via thecommunications module a second signal including search data generated bythe acquiring entity when interacting with at least one electroniclisting service comprising searchable data associated with a pluralityof assets available for acquisition; storing user profile data for theacquiring entity, the user profile data comprising at least a portion ofthe data associated with the acquiring entity, and at least a portion ofthe search data; using the user profile data to search or monitor assetslisted in the at least one electronic listing service to generate aresult list of matched assets; and sending via the communications modulea third signal including an electronic notification related to theresult list, to a device associated with the acquiring entity.
 17. Themethod of claim 16, further comprising: providing an electronic platformcomprising a first interface for the acquiring entity; providing accessto the at least one electronic listing service via the first interface;and obtaining via the communications module the search data frominteractions associated with the access to the at least one electroniclisting service.
 18. The method of claim 16, further comprising:providing an electronic platform comprising a first interface for theacquiring entity; and providing a graphical user interface comprising atleast one element associated with an acquisition process for a selectedasset.
 19. The method of claim 16, further comprising: providing achatroom interface to enable at least one secondary participant tocorrespond with the acquiring entity.
 20. A non-transitory computerreadable medium for searching and monitoring assets available foracquisition, the computer readable medium comprising computer executableinstructions for: receiving via a communications module a first signalincluding data associated with an acquiring entity; receiving via thecommunications module a second signal including search data generated bythe acquiring entity when interacting with at least one electroniclisting service comprising searchable data associated with a pluralityof assets available for acquisition; storing user profile data for theacquiring entity, the user profile data comprising at least a portion ofthe data associated with the acquiring entity, and at least a portion ofthe search data; using the user profile data to search or monitor assetslisted in the at least one electronic listing service to generate aresult list of matched assets; and sending via the communications modulea third signal including an electronic notification related to theresult list, to a device associated with the acquiring entity.